rights

The rights to Ugly Pretty are solely owned by the producer Hollis Sherman-Pepe. The shooting script is registered with WGA West and copyright resides with the producers.

LOG LINE

A fish-out-of-water in "Small Town" Pennsylvania finds herself in over her head when she has an affair with a local married man and becomes the accessory to a murder. In the end she rises up and risks it all to save the lives of two innocent children. Nothing ever happens in a small town... until it does.

synopsis

A young woman returns home to the family farm after being estranged for more than ten years. She is charged with the task of aiding her dying mother who suffers from Alzheimer's. Amber's good intentions are thwarted by disillusionment. Evading failed dreams of the Hollywood limelight she yearns for a simple family lifestyle.

Amber can't shake the bad behavior that landed her in the tough spot she so abruptly fled. The small town rumor mill dredges up painful scars a' la #metoo. This homecoming is destined for a wild upheaval.

A fiery affair unfolds between the newcomer and a local married man. Lust and obsession engulf the pair. Secrets can't stay silent forever.

When a horrible accident occurs, Bill bullies his lover into bonding in a cover-up. Amber must find the strength to rise up, put the needs of others before herself and become a real hero.

LOOK AND TONE

Ugly Pretty is a homecoming tale turned crime thriller. Young Adult turns into Fatal Attraction taking place in a town like Three Billboards. Slow paced and quiet, small town Pennsylvania is predictable. The script is filled with localisms that will transport the audience to this "Dutch Country" world. The pacing amps up as we move forward unraveling the dark pasts and the complex emotions of the characters. The third act hits like a freight train. Nothing happens in a small town... until it does.

The Team

Hollis Sherman-Pepe - (Writer, Director, Producer) is the owner of Farmer’s Daughter Productions, has been a film industry professional for eleven years. Her first writer/producer project was the short film, "Valediction" (2012) which won 9 awards including Best New Filmmaker at Phila. Indep. Film Fest, and Best Picture at L.A. Int'l Underground Film Fest. This snowballed her career as a writer, director, producer and she has since gone on to create more award winning short films (Best Picture - 2018 L.A. Under 5 Feedback Film Fest; Best Experimental Film - 2018 California Women's Film Fest, et al.) as well as direct web series content.

Hollis received a BFA in Theater Arts at The University of the Arts. Her acting career brought her to Los Angeles where she continued her education for the past ten years in screen-acting. She also has years of experience working on set as a 2nd AD, Production Assistant, and Carpenter.

"Ugly Pretty" will be her debut feature film. After it's completion Hollis intends to shoot her poignant feature length screenplay “Right-Hand Man” about a young gay boy escaping a bad situation with his hapless but scrappy mother. She is also co-writing a television pilot, “My Rabbit Hole”.

ShaunPaul Costello - (Producer) is known for making waves in the Pennsylvania film scene, having produced 36 short films in the past three years for Playhouse West. "Ugly Pretty" will be Costello's third feature film and most ambitious budget. He is also currently acting in the principle role of The Glass Menagerie as well as producing a documentary series, "The Cost of War".

Damien Nemire-Pepe - (Visual Effects & Titles) Nemire-Pepe is a VFX and motion graphics artist with 15 years of experience. Some of his clients include, Toyota, Snapchat, Carvana, The Famous Group, and Trailer Park. Damien's most recent film with Farmer's Daughter Productions won him Best VFX – 2018 Mindfield Film Festival as well as Best Special Effects – 2017 Baretower Forge World Film Competition.

Joey Paul & Jake Brichta - (Audio Team) Both are graduates of Full Sail University and have brought their music production education to the film world. The Sound Bros have been working professionally for seven years and have recorded, mixed, and scored numerous projects with Farmer's Daughter Productions. Joey Paul won Best Score 2018 - Mindfield Film Fest for his work on FDP's film "To Quiet My Mind".

Lindsey Shaw - as “Amber”

Lindsey has been a working actress most of her life. She is most well known for playing Paige in “Pretty Little Liars” as well as Moze in “Ned’s Declassified School Survival guide”.

Shaw’s acting career has been full and she is a powerhouse talent with a bright future.

Our production is thrilled to have her on board and can’t wait to cast her counterpart.

Writer's statement

Growing up in small town Pennsylvania is an amalgam of bucolic countryside with it's wholesome farmers, encroaching countryside, and healthy flavor of hillbilly. A city girl returns to her roots and struggles to not only fit in but to reinvent herself. The Pacing of the film escalates as time passes and our protagonist sets herself up for a hurricane in ACT III.

My aim is for the audience to find empathy for this scarred heroine. The more expected role of a sexually driven character has been flipped from male to female. The choices we make as humans come from complex thoughts, feelings, and past experience. Here we have a character that sees herself in a righteous light where the social norm would be to call her a home-wrecker.

I want to push the audience’s comfort level, daring them to live out their fantasies through voyeurism. UGLY PRETTY feels nostalgic and self-reflecting while simultaneously building tension to the point of eruption

marketing

Audiences are hungry for female driven content as seen in the success of WONDER WOMAN, BLACK SWAN, and THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT, and BLUE JASMIN.

Our target audience goes to see both indie thrillers and 30s coming-of-age films. The audience for indie thrillers with respect to 18+ content in both male and female demographics are ages 18-50. Indie thrillers like LOOPER and BABY DRIVER grossed 177MM and 175MM respectively. Gen X disillusionment/Coming of age films have notoriously been very well received in festivals like Sundance and Toronto Film Fest, for example YOUNG ADULT, LOST IN TRANSLATION, and GARDEN STATE.

Female directed films of note include WONDER WOMAN, LADY BIRD, HURT LOCKER, THE TWILIGHT SERIES, MAMA MIA, WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN, and MUDBOUND. The producer of Ugly Pretty aims to join the collective of successful female directed films.

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